NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured dazzling new images of Jupiter’s auroras revealing energetic, fast-changing lights far more intense than those on Earth.
On December 25, 2023, a team of astronomers led by Jonathan Nichols from the University of Leicester used JWST’s NIRCam instrument to observe the gas giant’s polar skies. What they found astonished them: the auroras were not only hundreds of times more energetic than Earth’s Northern Lights, but they also flickered and changed every second, much faster than previously thought.
Dancing Lights of Jupiter: What Makes Them Unique
Brightness: 100 times brighter than auroras on Earth
Speed: Variations observed in real time, not over minutes as previously assumed
Energy Source: Linked to Jupiter’s moon Io, which ejects volcanic particles into space
Size: Massive auroral regions covering large swathes of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere
Scientists previously expected slow and steady changes in Jupiter’s auroras fading in and out over 15 minutes. Instead, JWST showed them “fizzing and popping with light,” shifting rapidly across the planet’s polar zones.
A Cosmic Mystery: What Hubble Didn’t See
The study grew more intriguing when scientists compared Webb’s data with images taken at the same time by the Hubble Space Telescope. They discovered that certain bright spots seen by Webb had no equivalent in Hubble’s images, suggesting unknown or unobserved phenomena at play.
This mismatch is now a key focus of ongoing research, as scientists work to understand why Hubble missed some of the most energetic emissions picked up by JWST.
Why Jupiter’s Auroras Matter
Jupiter’s strong magnetic field and active volcanic moon, Io, play a major role in shaping these auroras. Particles from Io’s volcanoes are pulled into Jupiter’s magnetic field, where they collide with the planet’s atmosphere and generate light displays.
These observations provide critical insights into Jupiter’s space environment, atmospheric behavior, and magnetosphere dynamics adding depth to our understanding of giant planets both in and beyond our solar system.
Looking Ahead
The research team plans to continue comparing findings from JWST and Hubble to explore why some light patterns appear only in the infrared (Webb’s strength) and not in visible light (Hubble’s domain). These discoveries may unlock new information about particle behavior, atmospheric chemistry, and magnetic interactions on Jupiter.